Medical imaging techniques generally can be used to collect data and generate in-vivo visualization of anatomical areas of interest. One such example is intravascular imaging, where vascular structures and lumens may be imaged. For instance, intravascular imaging may be used to produce one or more images of the coronary artery lumen, coronary artery wall morphology, and devices, such as stents, at or near the coronary artery wall. Images generated using medical imaging techniques can be useful for diagnostic purposes, such as identifying diagnostically significant characteristics of a vessel.
In many cases, the ability to identify diagnostically significant characteristics of a vessel necessarily requires that one or more certain items of diagnostic interest are discernable in the generated image. However, items of diagnostic interest in the generated image may be difficult to distinguish from other diagnostically insignificant items in the generated image. This can be especially true where the diagnostically significant and insignificant items have a similar visual texture pattern in the generated image. If a certain item of diagnostic interest cannot be discerned, or is difficult to locate with a high level of confidence, the value of the generated image for medical diagnostic purposes may be constrained.